The Robert F. Munn Library Scholars Award is presented annually to a graduating Honors student for outstanding research contributions in the humanities or social sciences that have culminated in the production of an exceptional thesis or capstone research paper.
The award will be presented during a ceremony held at the Downtown Campus Library. In addition, winners will be awarded $1,000. The Munn Award judges may select up to three winners.
Eligibility
To be eligible to win, applicants must:
- Be an honors student enrolled at West Virginia University as a full-time undergraduate student in good academic standing who will graduate in December 2019 or will graduate in May 2020.
- Have conducted original research using resources from the West Virginia University Libraries and used this research to produce a written thesis or capstone paper that reflects individual work, not that of a group or class project.
- Have completed the research project for a credit course at West Virginia University fall semester 2019 or spring semester 2020.
- Have a cumulative GPA of no less than a 3.4 and have met the additional requirements for graduation as described by the Honors College of West Virginia University.
- Agree to permit West Virginia University Libraries and the Honors College to use their name, photographs, video images, etc., to promote The Robert F. Munn Undergraduate Library Scholars Award to future participants.
- Agree to attend the award ceremony.
- Agree to have his/her work published in the Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review.
Submission Process
The completed paper can be submitted anytime during the fall and spring semesters. The deadline is Monday, April 20th, 2020 by 4 p.m.
Applicants should submit an electronic copy of their paper to the Head of the Libraries’ Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support, Kelly Diamond, Kelly.Diamond@mail.wvu.edu.
Subject
The research topic must be in the realms of the humanities or social sciences.
Criteria
- Judges will evaluate the submissions on:
- Potential impact / contribution to the academic field
- Quality of research
- Development of the subject / topic
- Technical merit
- Originality* / generation of new knowledge
- Use of West Virginia University Libraries resources
Note: Work that is attributed to a student’s own initiative, rather than to assist a faculty member’s current research interests, will be considered more favorably by judges.
History
The Robert F. Munn Library Scholars was established during the fall of 2008 in honor of Dr. Robert F. Munn, Dean of Library Services from 1957-1986. Dean Munn nurtured the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, the Appalachian Collection, and a unique East Africa collection. He maintained strong collections in the humanities, especially American history and literature. The Libraries’ collections in these areas today are remarkably complete and are a legacy of Dean Munn’s consistent care.
Munn was born in Seattle and grew up in Pittsburgh, where his father was director of the Carnegie Library. He received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin, his master’s degree from the University of Chicago, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan.
